All-Wheel Drive Uses Less Fuel Than Rear-Wheel Drive. Considerably Less.
Driving four wheels instead of two costs fuel — that's the assumption behind every AWD-versus-2WD comparison. The EPA figures say something else entirely, and the reason has nothing to do with drivetrains.
Salvage Titles Aren't in the Cheap Listings. They're in the $15–25,000 Ones.
Everyone assumes written-off cars sit at the bottom of the market where the bargains look too good. The data puts them somewhere far more awkward — right in the middle, where most people shop.
A Tesla VIN Gets Run 42 Times. A Ford VIN Gets Run 11.
We can see how many times each individual VIN gets looked up. Sorting that by brand produces a ranking of buyer anxiety, and one manufacturer is a very long way clear.
The Same 2001 F-250 Sells for $2,300 and for $38,000
Every valuation tool gives you one number for a model and year. I looked at what the listings for a single model year actually span, and the range makes the average almost meaningless.
Each Pair of Cylinders Adds About $900 a Year to Your Fuel Bill
Cylinder count is the one specification everyone understands and nobody prices. I ran the EPA fuel cost estimates against it, and the increments are steadier than you'd expect.
Cars Survive Being Hit From the Side Better Than From the Front
Side impacts have less structure between you and the other vehicle, so you'd expect them to score worst. In the test data they score best — and the reason says something about how safety engineering actually works.
A Seven-Year-Old Sprinter Costs More Than a Three-Year-Old Sedan
Depreciation curves assume a car loses value as it ages. There's a corner of the used market where that barely happens, and the vehicles there are the least glamorous ones on the lot.
Two Thirds of Car Listings Don't Say What Condition the Car Is In
I went through every field in 329,674 used car listings to see how much was actually filled in. The average listing is missing more than it contains — and the fields that vanish are not random.
Two 2025 Civics Can Differ by 18 MPG. Same Year, Same Name.
You look up a car's fuel economy, get a number, and assume it applies. For thousands of model years it doesn't — the same badge covers engines that differ by more than half.
The Most Expensive Hail Insurance in America Is in the Cheapest Insurance States
South Dakota has some of the cheapest car insurance in the country and the most expensive comprehensive cover. Both facts have the same cause, and it falls out of the sky.
Pickups Generate More Owner Complaints Than Any Other Class. By Double.
America's best-selling vehicle type is also its most complained-about, and the margin isn't close. I averaged owner complaints by vehicle class and pickups sit at the top on their own.
Every Extra $1,000 of Budget Removes 3,300 Miles From the Odometer
Budget conversations are usually vague. I sorted every listing into price bands to find out exactly what each one buys, and the exchange rate between dollars and miles turns out to be remarkably steady.